Statistics & heart-rate zones
How to set heart rate zones on Apple Watch
Apple Watch splits every workout into five heart rate zones and shows the current one while you train. The zones are set automatically from your health data, which works for many people and misses badly for others: if your real maximum heart rate is higher than the estimate, easy runs land in Zone 3 and every “Zone 2” workout is too hard. Here is how the zones are worked out, how to set your own and where to see your time in each.
Short answer
On the watch, open Settings, then Workout, then Heart Rate Zones, and switch from Automatic to Manual. Edit the limits of Zones 2 to 4; Zone 1 sits below and Zone 5 above them. Base the numbers on your real maximum or threshold heart rate, not a formula. During a workout, turn the Digital Crown to the Heart Rate Zones view.
How Apple Watch sets the zones automatically
With Automatic selected, Apple Watch calculates five zones from your health data, which is why it needs your date of birth in the Health app. As your data grows, the zones are updated. The catch: a calculated maximum is an estimate, and individual maximums scatter around any age formula by 10 beats or more. Two runners of the same age can need very different zones.
How to set your zones manually
- On the Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
- Tap Workout, then Heart Rate Zones.
- Choose Manual.
- Tap Zone 2, 3 or 4 and set its lower and upper limit. Zone 1 ends where Zone 2 starts; Zone 5 starts where Zone 4 ends.
You can also reach the same setting on iPhone in the Watch app, under Workout, Heart Rate Zones. To switch back, choose Automatic again.
Which numbers to enter
Pick one anchor and derive all five zones from it. With a known maximum heart rate, a common split is:
| Zone | % of max heart rate | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 50–60 % | Very easy, recovery |
| Zone 2 | 60–70 % | Easy, full sentences |
| Zone 3 | 70–80 % | Moderate, short sentences |
| Zone 4 | 80–90 % | Threshold, a few words |
| Zone 5 | 90–100 % | Maximal, no talking |
If you know your lactate threshold heart rate, threshold-based zones fit even better, and if you know your resting heart rate, the heart rate reserve method gives zones that suit fit athletes with a low resting pulse. The free heart rate zone calculator does all three and gives you the five limits to type in.
To find your real maximum, use the highest credible value from a recent race or an all-out uphill effort after a good warm-up. Only do maximal efforts when you are healthy and used to hard training, and ask a doctor first if you have a heart condition.
Where to see your time in each zone
- During a workout: turn the Digital Crown in the Workout app until you reach the Heart Rate Zones view. It shows the current zone and the time spent in it.
- After a workout: open the workout in the Fitness app on iPhone. The heart rate section shows the time in each of the five zones.
- Custom workouts: when you build a custom workout on the watch, you can add a heart rate zone alert, for example to stay in Zone 2.
What the built-in apps don’t show is the bigger picture: how your time in zones adds up per week and month, and whether most of your training really is easy.
Zones from your real thresholds, with Keho
Keho reads your workouts and heart rate from Apple Health and shows time in every zone for each workout and per week, with your time in Zone 2 easy to spot. Its zones come from your real thresholds rather than an age formula, and its heart rate and zone views share one card on each workout. These statistics are free. When you train with Keho Coach, sessions go to your Apple Watch with heart rate, pace or power alerts, so you get a nudge when an easy run drifts out of its zone.
More on the easy end of the scale in Zone 2 training, and on adding up hard and easy work in training load explained.
Questions
Why do my zones differ between Apple Watch and other apps?
Each app picks its own anchor: a calculated maximum, your threshold or its own estimate. Different anchors give different limits. Set the same five numbers everywhere, or pick one app as the reference.
Should cycling and running zones be the same?
Heart rate on the bike usually runs a few beats lower than running at the same effort. Apple Watch uses one set of zones for all workouts, so cyclists who mostly ride may want limits from a cycling threshold, or train with power.
My heart rate jumps into Zone 5 at the start of a run. Is that real?
Often it is the optical sensor locking onto your cadence in the first minutes, especially in the cold. A snug band, a few minutes of warm-up or a chest strap paired with the watch help.